Till the Stars Come Home
by JimberlyShipper
Summary: This is set during the first season. Quinn and Jesse have feelings for each other while she's dating Puck. Will they find a way to be together? WIP, this is just chapter one.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: The characters of glee do not belong to me. So, I do glee rpgs. I was in one and I was playing Quinn. Somehow, St. Fabray started to happen. And I'm now a mod in a couple of games, and I just picked up Quinn there. We're going to do a St. Fabray line there. So I was looking at St. Fabray manips on tumblr and got inspired. So, here's a St. Fabray AU. Hope you enjoy!**_

Till the Stars Come Home

By Julia

She had been dating Noah "Puck" Puckerman for a few months now. She supposed she was happy. He had been treating her okay so far. Quinn was actually just surprised taht he hadn't done anything to cheat on her yet. Then that new kid, Jesse St. James, started to catch her eye. She supposed that part of it might be because he was trying to date Rachel Berry. Quinn had to admit, boys she couldn't have kind of turned her on. Quinn was at her locker, staring at Jesse from across the hall. He was at his locker, talking to Rachel. Quinn could not believe that she thought she might want to break up with Puck for him. Quinn held up her locker pretense by hiding behind the door of it. He caught her glance and she thought she would have a heart attack. Then he just gave Rachel a smile and went over to Quinn's locker. Heart pounding, she closed her locker and turned to him as he approached her. Quinn's heart was pounding a mile a minute. Tucking her hair behind her ear, Quinn looked at him. Hugging her books to her chest, she looked at him like he was her last meal. She couldn't help it. He was so very handsome. "Hi, Jesse." She said, her voice shaking.

Smirking at her, Jesse said, "So, I caught you staring at me. What's the deal, Fabray? I thought you had a boyfriend? That mohawked idiot." He said, as he adjusted his bag. He seemed intrigued that she'd been looking at him. That was a good sign.

Quinn tucked a piece of her long hair behind her other ear. She shrugged. "I do, Puck's my boyfriend." Now she felt very awkward. It felt like there was so much tension between them. She could hardly think about anything else. She added, "So how are things with you and Rachel?" She tried to sound casual about it. She didn't want to give anything away.

That made him smirk at her. "She talks about Finn a lot. It's tiresome." He said, as he kept her gaze. Jesse actually reached out to stroke her cheek. She had to work to control her breathing so she didn't start to breathing too hard. She didn't want him to know that she liked him. It would give him too much leverage and control. She didn't want that to happen. Quinn liked to be the one in control. She hugged her books closer to her. "Why do you ask?" He inquired.

Looking down at her feet, Quinn thought about how she should best answer this. She had to be careful to say the right words. Quinn didn't want this to blow up in her face. it was bad enough that he turned her on when she had a boyfriend. She shouldn't be so into him. But it wasn't his fault. It's not like he _asked _her to like him. Unless you counted how sexy his hair was. Finally, Quinn looked up at him. "Just trying to be polite."

Before Jesse could say anything, Puck came up. He put his arm around Quinn's shoulders. "What's going on, St. James?" Puck asked, as he made sure he held her close. He didn't trust Jesse. Quinn tried to not show how she felt about Puck standing here. She didn't feel like she knew she should. Quinn felt like he was intruding on what was happening with Jesse. She felt like there was something between them. She knew Jesse had to feel it too. She wasn't crazy.

Jesse looked at Puck, highly amused. He thought the other boy was a complete neanderthal. "We were only talking, Puckerman." He said, laughing. "Someone is mighty jealous." He looked at Quinn. "Come and talk to me when you get rid of the ball and chain." Then he walked away.

Watching him go, Quinn wondered what was going to happen now. If Puck would say something and act like a jealous caveman. It was not fun. One week one of the hockey players had hit on her and Puck had threatened to kill him. Quinn had not thought it was funny. Puck stepped back, looking at his girlfriend. "So, what was that all about?" He asked, ignoring the late bell. Puck was never that concerned about going to class.

"What are you talking about? That was just Jesse and I talking to each other." Quinn replied, arching her eyebrow. She had to play this the right way so that Puck didn't get suspicious. That was all she needed, her boyfriend getting wise to the fact that she had a crush on Jesse. Puck and Finn were best friends, so of course he had to hate Jesse too. Quinn didn't even like Rachel or Finn, so she didn't care a bit about what had happened between them and Jesse. She also didn't think Puck really cared, either, because he didn't like Rachel either. He was always calling her a midget who talked too much. Quinn didn't know why either one of them even tried. She kept her gaze on his, trying not to let him think the worst. Quinn didn't want to lose the points she was getting by having a boyfriend. Even if she was the head Cheerio and dating the school hoodlum. Quinn even had to lie to her parents, Puck would not be welcome at her house.

Giving her a look, Puck said, "Yeah, okay, sure." He looked as if he didn't believe her. Then they did head off to class.

After school, Puck had skipped out with Finn to go somewhere and do something stupid. She had just told him whatever and went to her locker. Jesse was waiting for her there. Quinn bit her lip. She was always so nervous and jumpy around him. She never knew what to say to him. He made butterflies in her stomach. Quinn opened her locker. "Hello, Jesse." She said nervously.

Glancing at her, Jesse chuckled. "You know, you intrigue me, Fabray." He said, as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. Quinn looked at him, her hazel eyes wide. Jesse was amused, but he did have feelings for Quinn. He was only going after Rachel to make Quinn crazy. Jesse had almost fallen in love with her at first sight. The first time he'd seen her, she was on the football field, cheering away. He had thought he hadn't seen anyone as beautiful as she was in his life. Jesse didn't think there was anyone else on this planet that was as pretty as she was. Except for himself. They would make a gorgeous couple. Jesse wanted to be with her. He just had to get her away from that Puckerman kid. He didn't know how to do it but it had to happen.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. "I do?" Quinn had never been at such a loss for words before. He just did something to her. Quinn had never felt this... turned on before. Quinn should take that as a sign that maybe she wasn't supposed to be with Puck. It was very confusing. Quinn opened her locker door to have something to do. She didn't know what else to say. "Why?" She finally asked.

Leaning on the locker next to her, Jesse stroked her cheek. "Because, you are beautiful." He said, looking into her beautiful hazel eyes. Jesse felt like a total girl, but he had to say it. Or he would regret it forever. "Quinn, I don't really like Rachel. I like you." He didn't want to tell her the real reason why he was at McKinley in the first place. He knew that she might not like it, even if she didn't necessarily like Rachel. Jesse didn't care about that anymore anyway. He wanted Quinn now. He didn't care what Shelby wanted him to do. It was pointless. Rachel wasn't into the whole idea as it was. She kept hedging when he brought it up.

"Wow." Was all she was able to say. She didn't know what else to say. It wasn't like she was free to take him up on it. Quinn wanted to. More than anything she had ever wanted anything else. Ever. Quinn didn't want to show her hand if she didn't have to. It would give Jesse all the power. Quinn liked to be the one wearing the pants. Her high ponytail bounced as she looked back at him. "What about Rachel?" She asked, her voice soft.

Shaking his head, he kept his fingers on her cheek. Jesse thought her skin was possibly the softest skin he'd ever felt. "I'm not into her. I'm into you." He said. "All Rachel talks about is Finn and it's not at all interesting. Finn's a moron." Jesse made no bones abbout what he thought about Finn. He never had. It was pointless to pretend that he liked him. "You are interesting. You are the only one in glee club who sings as good as I do. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. And you are the head Cheerio. You need to be with someone like me. Puck is beneath you." Jesse said. He had to admit, part of the attraction was because of how much Quinn was into him. He loved to be adored. His parents had told him in front of his other siblings that he was their favorite. Sometimes things just happened. "You are the only girl in this school who is pretty enough for me." He said.

That almost got her. Quinn enjoyed when people told her she was pretty. She just didn't know if she should give up Puck when things might not be sure with Jesse. Quinn wanted to go with the option of Jesse. She was just confused. He got her all turned on. Quinn was not used to that. She was also in the celibacy club. It was against her religion to give in to her urges. No matter how much she wanted to. "Jesse, that's very sweet. I just, I don't know that I can leave Puxk if it's not a sure thing." She hoped that he didn't take that the wrong way. Quinn didn't want to scare him off. She didn't want him to stop trying. That would not serve her purpose.

To her great relief, he didn't leave or back away. He just kept standing there. "Quinn, I am not going anywhere. I am Jesse St. James. When I go after something, I get it." Jesse was not going to give up until Quinn was his. He never took no for an answer. He liked to actually win the things he went after. He didn't like to lose. It wasn't in his DNA. "You will be mine. No matter what it takes." He told her.

All she could do was look back at him with wide eyes. Her mouth was even open while she was looking back. She was watching his lips. They looked great. Quinn was thinking about kissing him, despite what she had said about not wanting to break up with Puck. She almost couldn't help herself. She felt herself leaning towards him. She wanted to kiss him. Almost more than she had ever wanted anything in her life.

Jesse smiled at her. "You want me to kiss you. You don't want to be with Puckerman." He said, leaning closer to her. They were standing so close together there was practically no space between them. Quinn's breahth was shallow. Jesse stroked her cheek again. He closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers.

All she could do was kiss him back. It caught her by surprise. She got lost in it. It was the best kiss she'd ever had. She let his tongue into her mouth pretty easily. She was surprised at herself. Puck had had a lot of trouble with that. Quinn just couldn't help it. Jesse was amazing. The kiss only broke when they had to breathe. She put her hand on his chest. "Wow." She breathed out.

Giving her a smile, Jesse stepped back. He had to keep her wanting more. "You think about that." He told her, and then headed off down the hall.

All she could do was watch him go. Finally she closed her locker and went to go outside. She didn't know how she was going to keep this from Puck. That had been the best kiss of her life. Quinn didn't know how she had lived so far without kissing Jesse every day. Quinn didn't know how to go on and tell Puck about it. She needed to think about this.

A couple of weeks later, Quinn was ready to give in to what Jesse wanted. They hadn't kissed again, and it was driving her crazy. He kept looking at her whenever he could. It was making her want to be with him. She was trying to get up the strength to break up with Puck. She just didn't know how. She also didn't know how to keep the fact that she loved Jesse to herself. She had all these feelings she was trying to hold in. It was hard. She could lose everything if she didn't play this the right way. She was watching him again from across the hall. He wasn't talking to Rachel this time. He was just at his locker. She took a deep breath. Then she went over to talk to him. She was playing with the ends of her ponytail. She was so nervous. She was about to tell him that she wanted to be with him. She just couldn't break up with Puck just yet. She didn't want to hurt him. He'd been good to her. She went up to Jesse. "Jesse." She said.

He turned to her. Jesse gave her a large smile. He didn't step any closer to her. He was getting books out of his locker. Jesse said, "Hello, Fabray. Can I help you?" He gave her a wink as he opened up his bag.

Nodding slowly, Quinn closed the distance between them. She looked around and then touched his chest lightly. "I... I want to be with you. I just, I can't break up with Puck yet. I don't want to hurt him." Quinn could hardly believe what she was doing and saying. She _wanted _Jesse to be her first. She wanted to let him to be the one to truly make her a woman. She didn't even know how she had even come to this conclusion. Jesse wasn't even her boyfriend. She should be giving it to Puck. She just couldn't help herself. Jesse was amazing.

That made him look at her with a raised eyebrow. He looked as if he was intrigued. He leaned against the locker next to his. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?" He asked.

Biting her lip, Quinn looked at him. She almost couldn't say the words. Her mother always said if you couldn't say it then you couldn't do it. So, taking a deep breath, she said, "I want you to be my first, Jesse." Quinn met his eyes head on. She didn't want him to turn her down, but she supposed that since she'd turned him down before if he did then she didn't blame him.

That made him step a little closer to her, ignoring all the other kids in the hall. Jesse knew he should be taking offense that she didn't want to break up with Puck before they did this, but he was too into the idea of deflowering her. Not to mention, he would have the knowledge that she was with Puck and she'd given her virginity to him. Jesse thought that was just fantastic. Even if he and Quinn were the only ones who knew, he would still know and that was what was important. He didn't take his eyes away as he said, "If you want that, then I want to make it happen for you."

As she was looking at him, the late bell for their last class rang. She said, "Puck's doing something tonight. You should come over to my house. My parents are going out." She was almost breathless.

Jesse leaned close to her ear. He whispered, "I will show you the best time you could ever think to have." He dropped a very light kiss on her cheek and then headed off to class. All she could do was stare at him, her jaw dropping.

When school let out, Quinn ditched Cheerio practice to go home and get ready. She wanted to make sure that her room was clean. She also wanted to make sure that she had something pretty to put on. She wanted to look her best for him. Quinn also had to decide what music she wanted. She had no one to talk about this with because she couldn't trust anyone. Quinn got out some candles. She hoped that Jesse didn't think they were too cheesy. Quinn just wanted to have it be as perfect as it could be. She didn't want to end up regretting it. Quinn thought she might be falling in love with Jesse. It was so completely crazy. She had thought that she had been in love with Puck. Then Jesse had come waltzing and singing into her life. Quinn supposed she'd always liked bad boys. It was what had attracted her to Puck in the first place. Jesse wasn't necessarily a bad guy, but he wasn't what her mother would call a good apple either.

When her room was ready, Quinn stood in front of her closet, her long blonde hair hanging down to her shoulders. She could not decide at all what she should wear. Nothing she had was good enough. Jesse St. James was coming to her house to sleep with her. Quinn had to look hot. Sexy. Nothing she owned was sexy. She could look beautiful, sure, but sexy? Quinn wasn't sure she could do sexy. Her phone buzzed. She got up to get it. It was a text from Santana Lopez, telling her she'd better be dying because Coach Sylvester was going to kill her for missing practice. Quinn's fingers paused as she wondered if she should tell Santana what she was about to do. She wasn't sure she should. The Latina had been very upset when Puck had chosen Quinn instead of Santana. She knew that if she told Santana then she would tell Puck. In the end, she ignored it and went back to the closet.

She had finally decided on what to wear when Jesse texted her and told her he was on his way. Quinn jumped a mile when she got the text. She went to make sure that her teeth were brushed. Then she put on some perfume and double checked to make sure her room was still looking okay. It was. Quinn tried to calm her racing heart. She was so nervous and she could barely think. She was thinking that was probably a good thing that she couldn't think. She wouldn't end up thinking that it was a bad idea. Quinn would actually go with it. She wanted to. More than anything.

The doorbell going off scared the hell out of her. She hurried to go get it. She tried to show herself before she got to the door. It wasn't good to look too eager. She opened the door, her heart pounding. Jesse was looking gorgeous. He had styled his curly hair, and he was wearing a very nice outfit. Quinn stepped back to let Jesse inside, and he stepped in. "Hi, Jesse." She said, closing the door. She didn't know if they were going to talk beforehand, and she just stood there.

Jesse stepped closer. He wanted to try and reassure her. He also didn't want to hurt her when the time came, either. She meant a lot to him already. He put both of his arms around her waist. He pulled her closer and pressed his lips to hers passionately. He didn't need to talk. Not before. He knew exactly what this was to her. Even if she was lying to herself. Jesse knew exactly what was going on. He knew Quinn had feelings for him. Jesse did not regret this at all, and he knew that it would lead to him and Quinn getting together in the end.

She kissed him back easily enough. She pressed against him, and let her tongue slide into his mouth. He was a much better kisser than Puck was. She groaned against his mouth and then pulled him with her towards the stairs. They didn't stop kissing as they went.

When they got to her bedroom, she hit the door open with her foot. Whimpering, she backed up and sat down on the bed. Jesse loomed over her. He started taking off his clothes. He had brought a condom, so there was no need to ask if she was on the pill. The condom should keep them safe enough. He got all his clothes off, and then reached to begin removing Quinn's. She watched him with wide eyes. When he got to removing her bra and panties, which matched, she trembled a little. No one had ever seen her naked before. Jesse drank her in. Then, as she backed up on the bed, he straddled her, and pressed his lips to hers again. It had been a long time since he'd had sex, but he knew he could show Quinn a good time. He pulled the condom out of his pants pocket, and opened the wrapper with his teeth. It took him no time at all to get the rubber out and on his length. He parted her knees with his own, and let his fingers stroke her to make sure she was wet enough.

When he touched her Quinn groaned softly against his mouth. It felt really good, what he was doing. "Oh... Jesse." She said softly, and then he was entering her. She gasped as he went inside, and she lay back on the bed, her hips rocking with his. It hurt a little, but it felt good, too. He followed her movements, and pressed his lips to hers once more, his left hand softly caressing her left breast. As his thumb softly ran across her nipple, she gave another groan against his mouth. He knew what he was doing. She ached to have more of this than just once. Quinn just didn't want to hurt Puck.

When it was over they were lying under the covers of Quinn's bed. She was lying in the crook of Jesse's arm. She was looking at the ceiling. "What now?" She asked, turning to face him.

Jesse looked back at her. He knew that what he had to say was going to hurt, but it would lead to them being serious later, he was sure of it. He looked at her. "You said this was just sex. You said you didn't want to leave Puck."

That got her on her elbow, to look at him. "What? This was jut sex for you?" She asked, giving him a look. She didn't want to regret what she had just done. She had real feelings for Jesse and she didn't want to be hurt. "Why are you doing this?" She asked.

Pushing back the covers, Jesse got out of the bed. He started to put his clothes back on. "I wanted more, Quinn. You didn't, remember? Call me when you're ready to lose the ball and chain." He left the room. All Quinn could do was lie there shocked. That had not gone the way she had wanted it to go.

Over the next month or so, Quinn grew more and more unhappy with Puck. A few days after she slept with Jesse, she'd let Puck sleep with her too. Quinn had felt numb when he'd entered her. Nothing like she'd felt when Jesse had been inside her. It all started to really unravel when she'd found out she was pregnant. She had started having morning sickness four weeks after she'd first slept with Jesse. Quinn knew it couldn't be Puck's because she'd gone on the pill the day after she and Jesse had slept together. Quinn didn't know what to do. It was a bit frustrating too, because she'd watched Jesse put the condom on. She guessed that the stats were right. She hadn't decided what to do yet. She wanted Jesse. Even if he had hurt her. She had been keeping her eye on him so much she was sure that Puck had noticed it. Quinn hated the whole situation, she just wanted to _know _what to do. Quinn wanted to know who she should let her heart love.

It was a couple of weeks after she'd found out she was pregnant when Jesse approached her. Quinn was at her locker. "What, Jesse?" She asked, her voice a little icy.

Jesse gave her a sly smile. "I have seen you looking at me." He told her. "You want to be with me." He said.

She couldn't quite meet his eyes. Quinn couldn't exactly deny it. She sighed. "What about it?" She said, as she got out some of her books.

He gave her a bigger smile. He leaned against the lockers. His eyes were even smiling. Jesse said, "Why can't we be together, Quinn? I love you. You love me. That is the very reason why we should be together." He thought they would be the prettiest couple McKinley High had ever seen. "I know what I said before, but I don't see any reason why we can't have a chance to be together anymore. Please, Quinn. And you know I don't do this often, beg someone to be with me, so consider that before you answer."

Taking a deep breath, Quinn turned and closed her locker. She looked at Jesse. "I do love you. More than anything or anyone in this world. I have... some news." She said, her heart starting to beat faster as Quinn lifted her eyes to his. Her hand reached out, taking one of his in hers. She laced her fingers with his. Quinn kept her eye on their intwined fingers before she said, "Jesse, I'm pregnant. And it's yours."

When Quinn said that, Jesse's mind began to race. He didn't know what to say. Jesse wanted to be a big star. He wasn't so sure he could do that if he had a baby. "Quinn, if we keep this baby, our lives are going to be so different. What will we do to support ourselves? The baby?"

That Quinn was not sure of. She knew that she couldn't get rid of a baby. Not to mention, a baby that was Jesse's. "Look, I know that this is really sudden. And I know that it will change everything. I want to get out of here as much as you do." She said, sighing.

Jesse looked at her. "Quinn, you can't do this alone. You need to let me help you. We need to be together. You don't have to shoulder the whole burden."

Lifting her eyes to his, Quinn's thumb stroked the back of Jesse's hand. "I do love you, alright..." She said slowly. "We can do this together. I love you."

Pulling her close, Jesse rubbed her back. "It's going to be alright, Quinn."


	2. The Shit Hits the Fan

Chapter Two: The Shit Hits the Fan

A couple of days after that is when everyone found out about the baby. Quinn wasn't so sure about how it had gotten out, but everyone knew. She was getting the strangest looks from all the kids at school. She hated it, but at least she had Jesse. He was being great. He'd been glaring at underclassmen whenever he'd caught someone looking at her. She appreciated it. Puck had not said much yet about her hanging with Jesse, and she was afraid of what was going to happen with that. She was about to find out, because he was waiting for her by her locker. "What, Noah?" She asked, as she approached.

"No, Quinn. You don't get to get angry at me. You cheated on me and you're having another guy's baby. I know that I may be a complete badass, and there was a possibility that I'd do it to you, but you did it. And with Jesse St. James. That dude's an ass, Quinn. He may be a good singer, but that's all he is. He's not going to be here for you with this baby."

Sighing, Quinn tucked some hair behind her ear. "Puck, I'm with Jesse now. He's been great about the baby. I was worried about him at first, but he's been great." Quinn knew that she shouldn't be yelling at Puck. He was the victim here. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He looked at her. "I just want you to know what you're doing. I won't be here waiting for you when it all blows up in your face." Then he walked away.

She sighed and opened up her locker. She started getting her books out. Quinn was busy thinking about Jesse, and didn't hear the footsteps coming up behind her. Then a hand was slapped on the locker next to her. She turned around. It was Santana. Quinn looked at her. "What, Santana?" She asked. After Quinn had gotten head Cheerio over Santana, she'd stopped talking to Quinn as much. The two of them and Brittany S. Pierce had been the Unholy Trinity. Now they weren't. Quinn looked at her. She was sure she was about to get it about the whole situation. It killed her, it was none of the Latina's business.

The Latina looked at her and folded her arms. "You know Coach Sue is going to kick you off the squad." She snapped, as she got up in Quinn's face. "And you had Puck. Why would you cheat on him with that Jesse kid? You're not even going to care if you hurt Puck at all! And you're carrying Jesse's demon spawn!" She said.

Quinn looked back at her, not sure what to was all true, except the not feeling bad about Puck. "Look, I _do_ feel sorry that I hurt Puck. I was trying not to hurt him. I just couldn't help it. I love Jesse. I can't help how I feel. And none of this is your business! It is between me, Jesse, and Puck. Not you!" Quinn replied. "None of your business at all!"

Santana got closer to her. She was angry. Her nostrils were flaring. She pursed her lips. "You don't care. You've been walking around the halls with Jesse, rubbing it in Puck's face! How could you care that you hurt him? And you had to be slutty enough to get pregnant!" She said.

Quinn normally would have said something snappy back, but instead, she felt tears filling her eyes. She closed them for a second, and then took off. She ran crying down the hall and went into the bathroom. She grabbed some paper towels so she could wipe her face. Rachel Berry was already in there. Quinn almost left. She didn't know what Rachel was going to say. She thought they were friends. Quinn didn't like her. She never had. She also didn't know if Rachel was angry about the whole situation too.

"I feel sorry for you, you know." She said, as Quinn got out her makeup to reapply. "Jesse's going to leave you eventually."

That made Quinn turn to look at her. She could not believe that Rachel of all people was saying that to her. Rachel was the only one who had been nice to Jesse in the first place. "What? You don't know that, Rachel! Jesse told me that he loves me. He said we would do this together. Why does no one support this? And we're not even friends, Rachel." Quinn replied, wiping her eyes. "Just leave it alone. It's my business, and Jesse's. No one else's." Quinn said, as she turned back to the mirror.

Rachel was confused. She'd only been trying to warn Quinn. She just didn't want Quinn hurt. "Quinn, I just don't want you to get hurt. Jesse will do that. He'll do something and you'll get hurt. It's kind of what he does. He comes in and charms people and then they're left broken and he goes off laughing."

It was almost to the irrational point. Quinn didn't know why people kept telling her that Jesse was just going to leave her. She knew that wasn't the case. He was going to be there for her because he loved her. She had to believe it or she was going to go crazy. Everyone not believing in her and Jesse's relationship really wasn't helping. "Rachel. None of you _knew _before he came to this school." Quinn said, looking at her. "Your attitude is making me angry. It's none of your business." Quinn replied. She set her deep glare on Rachel. "Jesse has been nothing but kind to me. And you know, I was afraid of the things that you're saying. But he's been amazing. He's been great throughout this. It's only been a few days, but he said we'd do this together." She knew it soundedd completely crazy to anyone who wasn't in it, but she was very content. "Jesse's my boyfriend. Lay off." She snapped. Then she hurried out of the bathroom. There she ran into Jesse.

He lifted his finger and wiped her face. "Quinn... I'm sorry. I heard about the fight with Lopez..." Jesse said, as she stepped even closer. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

She nodded, her hair falling in her face. She leaned against him though. She laid her head on his chest. He put his arms around her waist. "Jesse, everyone keeps telling me that you're going to hurt me and leave me. I just don't like hearing that." Quinn said.

Jesse leaned against the top of her head. He stroked her back. "I'm not going to leave you. I promise." Shelby had already yelled at him profusely, telling him that he wasn't supposed to be dating Quinn anyway. Jesse didn't care. He just wanted Quinn to be his, by any means necessary. And now she was his, so he had achieved his goal. That's why he was continuing to ignore Shelby's calls. Jesse didn't want to hurt Rachel. That's all Shelby was really trying to do. She just wanted to hurt Rachel. Rachel was not ready to meet her mother. She thought she was, but she wasn't. All Jesse wanted was to be there for Quinn. She seemed like she was happy with him. He just wished that he could make the other people leave Quinn alone. All he wanted was for Quinn to be happy. It felt strange, caring so much for someone that wasn't himself. Jesse had never really loved anyone but himself before. He was trying his best not to freak out about that. "You are going to be okay. We'll be okay." Jesse said, pressing his lips to the top of her head.

Letting him comfort her a bit longer, she pulled back. "I want to go to class now. If I don't go it's letting them win." She backed up, but her fingers laced with Jesse's. She sighed again and leaned out, pressing her lips to Jesse's softly. "I love you." She said quietly. Her voice sounded defeated. She was not her fabulous self.

He nodded and softly let her fingers fall out of his. Jesse could hardly believe he was willing to do this . It would mean his dream of being a star was going to be different, but he wanted to do this. He'd already been thinking about baby names. Quinn hadn't said for sure that she was going to keep it, but Jesse was sure they would.

This is when Santana Lopez came along, her arms folded. She was giving him a glare. Jesse wasn't sure why she was coming to talk to him. She had been one of the ones making fun of Quinn. She arched her eyebrows at him. "Why are you here?" She asked him. "Why did you come to McKinley in the first place? It wasn't to join New Directions and try to date Rachel Berry, and then end up getting Fabray pregnant." She said, arching her eyebrow higher. Santana looked pretty angry. Jesse thought she was probably angry most of the time. It was just her nature.

Looking back at her firmly, Jesse said, "Why do you care? You're going to be the one to benefit from Quinn getting kicked off the squad. So why are you acting like you care about Quinn? You don't. You fight her every day on everything. So don't even try to tell me that you care about Quinn." Jesse snapped.

Her hand was sitting on her leg, and Jesse was sure she wanted to slap him. He continued to give her the same arched eyebrow expressed. It seemed to give her agitation that he was just standing there calm and collected. Santana stepped closer, her ponytail bouncing. Giving him a glare, he snapped, "It doesn't matter what you say. You are going to hurt Quinn. Although, I suppose that I shouldn't be yelling, I could be trying to get Puck for myself. But you helped Quinn hurt Puck. It's not right. He loved Quinn. He is a player, and he was faithful to her. If you knew how hard that was for him to do, then you would maybe feel guilty. But you don't." She snapped. "All you are about was deflowering Quinn." She ooked as angry as Jesse had ever seen her.

Jesse just laughed. "You're pointless. It doesn't matter what you think because I'm going to be with Quinn whether you like it or not." He said, and done with the conversation, walked away. He left Santana standing there, glaring.

After school, Quinn was at the mall, doing some shopping while she could. She was getting herself some maternity clothes in advance before her parents kicked her out. They were going to find out eventually. Jesse swore he'd make sure she was taken care of after that happened. Quinn just didn't want Jesse to have to take care of everything. Quinn felt lucky. She could have ended up with someone who would treat her like shit. Abandon her and not help her and the baby. Quinn was already thinking of it as a baby. She wouldn't even really start showing for about four more months. She was just trying to stay prepared.

She supposed what hurt the most was that she didn't have anyone to help or talk to about this besides Jesse. She didn't trust anyone enough to talk about it. And everyone was putting down her relationship with Jesse. She didn't think it was right. They had no right to decide that Jesse was going to hurt her or walk away. He had been amazing so far. And she was sure that he would keep being amazing.

When she got to Old Navy, she ran into Tina Cohen Chang of all people. She'd never have expected Tina to be in here. Tina gave her a warm smile. Tina was one of those people that Quinn had looked down on but Tina would be nice to her almost no matter what. Quinn was actually glad that she had run into her. Quinn knew she could talk to Tina about things. She could trust her. Quinn walked over to her. "Hi, Tina." She said.

The Asian girl gave her a very brief smile. "Hi, Quinn. What's up? You getting new clothes for your mom too?" Tina asked. She was dressed in her normal Goth garb, long black skirt, a Peter Pan shirt, and a black cardigan. Quinn thought Tina didn't dress to her full potential, but she admired the other girl's bravery.

Quinn shook her head. "No. I'm getting some... maternity clothes." Her voice was quiet. She didn't doubt that Tina knew all about what had happened between her and Jesse. "I'm sure you've heard by now." Quinn said, as she thumbed through some of the clothes on the rack.

Looking at the floor, Tina nodded. "Yeah. How are you... I mean..." Tina sounded like she didn't know what to say to Quinn about the whole situation. She was still looking at the floor. Then she said, "Is Jesse going to stick around?"

Quinn nodded. "Yes. He told me we would do this together." She said, nodding some more. She waited for the other shoe to drop. She knew that it was just a matter of time before Tina said something about her keeping the baby. Everyone did as soon as they found out. Even Quinn wasn't sure why she was. She knew why she wasn't going to get an abortion, but as far as why she was keeping it as opposed to giving it up for adoption. She supposed it was because it was Jesse's. Quinn didn't want to give up a baby that was his. Knowing that there was a baby out there with his eyes, hair, and looks would have driven her crazy. Quinn had to make sure that he or she stayed with its parents. She and Jesse would do their best.

Tina was shuffling through some clothes. She looked as if she didn't know what to say. Finally she said, "Whatever you want to do is the right thing, Quinn. No one can tell you what to do with your body." She told her, toying with her long dark hair. Tina was sort of seeing that wheelchair kid Artie. Quinn wasn't sure that she liked Artie just yet. She tried. She knew that Artie was a nice guy. Most of the kids in glee wre, even if Quinn wasn't sure she really wanted to be friends with anyone in glee. Quinn tried to be at least civil. Especially now that she was a social pariah. She couldn't afford to turn down anyone willing to be her friend.

Quinn smiled at her. "Thanks, Tina. I appreciate it. Everyone has been... well, really judgemental." She said, sighing. She kept her eyes on her feet for a long second, quietly wondering when things would calm down. "You think things will blow over, Tina?" She asked, finally looking back up at her.

Giving it not a bit of thought, Tina nodded. "Of course they will, Quinn. Don't worry so much." She was clearly holding back her real feelings about Jesse. Most people did when it came to him. They loved his talent but they kept their opinion about his personality to themselves. Just once, Quinn wished that people would tell her how they really felt about him. She liked him so much. She just wanted everyone else to love him too. With his prima donna personality it was almost an impossibility.

Armed with a few things, Quinn went to go to the register. She nodded bye at Tina and then headed out after she was all paid up. She started walking out to her car. When she got out to the car, she noticed that Jesse was next to it. His car was on the other side of hers. She smiled at him. "Hi, Jesse." She said, as she put her bag in the trunk. He grinned at her. Quinn grinned right back at him, and went to him. "Hi, Jesse." She repeated. "What are you doing here, sweetie?"

Jesse put his arms around her, and one hand on her belly. His fingers stroked it very absentmindedly. He liked to do that since she'd told him about the baby. "I knew you were here and I wanted to see you." He replied, and stay away from Shelby. He answered in his head. She'd called him about an hour or so ago. Jesse was finding it harder and harder to avoid her. He didn't want to do what she wanted him to anymore. Plus, Rachel had all but stopped talking to him. Not that he cared about that.

Putting her arms around him, Quinn pressed a kiss to his lips. "I'm glad to see you." She told him, when she'd pulled back. "Do you want to come for supper?" Quinn wanted to get him in good with her parents while she could. She wanted them to get to know him while they didn't know about the baby. She wanted them to like him before they would be bound to hate him.

Setting his gaze on her, Jesse didn't know if he should or not. He supposed that it would be a good idea to get in their good graces now. While they didn't know about the baby. He just didn't like parents. He liked himself and Quinn. He'd used to like Shelby, before he'd been asked to do this. He just didn't know how a dinner like that would go, and it was stopping him. Jesse wondered if this was still a good idea. To still be with Quinn. It felt like it was just a vice grip on him. He tried to shake it off. Jesse definitely thought of himself as a selfish person, and most of the time, that was okay with him. Now, he wasn't so sure.

Quinn seemed to sense his hesitation. "What's wrong, Jesse? Why don't you want to come for supper?" She asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

"I just... I'm not sure I'm good with parents... I can do the impressing them thing... but I don't like them. And I can be pretty condescending too." Jesse quickly replied, trying not to let it sound like it wasn't just an excuse. Even if that's exactly what it was. He hated disappointing her. It didn't feel right. He didn't know why. Maybe he really did have genuine feelings for her. He'd been wondering if he just wanted her because he couldn't have her. Now he could. It was a great thing. Jesse looked at her, stroking her cheek with his thumb. "Is it okay if I don't go?" He asked.

This gave her pause at first. She didn't know if it was okay for him to not go. This was really important. They couldn't just put it off. She wanted to try and work this the way they wanted. She folded her arms. "Jesse, I want this to go like it should. We should be trying to get my parents to like you. I want to get their blessing. It's going to be hard enough when they find out that I'm pregnant."

It was completely horrible, but that was the moment for Jesse when he knew that he couldn't do this. He got away from her, shaking his head. Jesse sighed. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I just can't do this." He ran his hand nervously through his curly hair.

Glaring at him, Quinn folded her arms. "What? You can't _do_ this? You're already _doing_ this!" She looked at him, hurt. She couldn't believe that they were even _having _this discussion. She never would have thought that Jesse would be such a pain. That he could leave her and their baby. How could Quinn have chosen to have sex for the first time with him? She could not believe it. It was completely unbelievable. She started to cry. "I'm... I can't... I, I can't believe you're doing this! If you walk away right now, then we're done. You walk away, and you are forfeiting any right to being with me."

His heart was pounding. Jesse knew that he didn't want to, but he had to. If he didn't, he'd never have a life. Jesse was completely hating himself at that moment. He never expected it to go this way. "I'm sorry, Quinnie. I do love you... so much. But I just can't do this..." He got in his car, and took off.

All Quinn could do was stand there in shock. How had it gotten to here? It had started out just fine. How had they ended up not together? Her heart was breaking. She stood and cried for a time, and then got in the car to go home.

A few days later, they were still broken up. Quinn had been walking around in a daze. No one had really been talking to her, they didn't want to approach her. Quinn didn't know what to say to any of them as it was. Jesse had been casting glances at her, and that was killing her, too. She didn't know how to get him to quit, so she had to endure it. It was one of the worst things she'd been through so far in her short life.

Santana had been making Quinn's life a living hell. She didn't know how to make her stop, either. Quinn did not feel like her normally snappy self. She felt miserable, like she'd never be happy again. The hits just kept coming.


	3. Things No One Knows

Chapter Three: Things No One Knows

The past few weeks had been really hard on Quinn. She was all alone and there was no one to talk to about everything. She felt alone, definitely. She walked the halls, feeling depressed. Quinn hated it. No one had managed to tell any of their parents, so at least her own didn't know. She kept glancing at Jesse. She still couldn't believe he'd dumped her. She missed him so much. He hadn't stopped looking at her, either, so it was definitely all angsty like a stupid Shakespeare play. She didn't know why she didn't expect it. Everyone thought Jesse was a jerk. Maybe she should too.

It was a Wednesday morning, and she was on her way to her locker. She had Spanish with Mr. Schuester first. It was going to be another silent day. Quinn was starting to wonder if she'd lose her voice from misuse. She hardly spoke anymore, even in class. The only time it was really used was glee club. But of course, glee club was ruled by Rachel, so that wasn't even necessarily guranteed.

Coach Sue came up to her. "Quinn, Lopez told me that you're pregnant. Is this true?" She asked, looking a bit disappointed.

Looking at her shoes, Quinn thought about how best to answer this. She wasn't sure telling the truth would be the best option. But she would find out eventually. Quinn couldn't decide on the best course. She was good at conniving but she had been off her game lately. Stalling, she said, "Why would you believe Santana? She hates me and would love to get me tossed off the squad."

"That is true, but there's a rumor going around. Just tell me if it's true." She replied.

Quinn sighed. There was no way out now. Might as well tell the truth. She didn't see any reason not to. If she knew about the rumors there was no point in lying. "Yes, it's true." She finally ventured. She didn't know what Sue would say now, but she knew she was off the Cheerios. She supposed she deserved it. She'd let Jesse have sex with her and her life was shit now.

For a long second, Sue said nothing. Then she said in a cold voice, "You're off the Cheerios. Can't have a pregnant girl on my squad." Then she walked away.

Tears filled her eyes. She stood there a second longer and then closed the door to her locker. She didn't know what to do now. Everything she had had been taken from her. Quinn turned to go to class, and ran right into Jesse. He was looking at her with a sad expression. "Stop looking at me all the time!" She cried. "It's pure torture!"

Jesse looked at her, and stepped closer. He didn't know how to make things better. He hated that he had hurt her. He stroked her cheek. She pulled back with force. She gave him an evil glare. Jesse looked at her. "Please, Quinn. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. You've got to believe me." Jesse's face showed sorrow. He just hoped it was enough.

"I told you. You can't have me back. You lost that right." Quinn snapped hugging her books to herself. Who did he think he was? She completely hated him right now. It was killing her, standing here and having this conversation. She wanted to go to class now.

Jesse couldn't help giving her another pained look. He hated that he'd hurt her. He was having regrets about breaking up with her. He missed her. Jesse knew right now was not the time to ask her to get back together. He wanted to. He just knew he should wait. He'd been beating himself up since they'd split. "Quinn, please. I'm not trying to get you back. I know that that is not going to happen right now. I am sorry I hurt you and I want to be in your life and the baby's." Jesse had been scared, but now he was all into this, wanting to raise his own child. Jesse had to teach him greatness.

That made her give him a slap across the face. "No, Jesse. You can't just come back and expect to be in the baby's life. I don't even know if I'm going to keep it now." Quinn said, hugging her books tightly to her. She didn't know how she would do it without Jesse, and she didn't want to take him back. He had hurt her and she didn't think she could set herself up to be hurt again. She felt like she would die when he had broken up with her.

Smarting a little, but actually appreciating the drama of the slap, Jesse touched his cheek. He held it for a second. Then he dropped his arm back to his side. He looked at her, sorry in his eyes. Sorrow was definitely all over him. He felt badly for what he'd done. Jesse knew he would really end up regretting what he'd done to her. Jesse was looking at her lips. She had the best lips he had ever seen. Jesse finally said, "Oh, Quinn, you have to keep it. I'll do my best to help you... I swear." Jesse didn't want his kid growing up without him. Jesse wanted to be there and teaching him or her about life.

Quinn shook her head hard. "No. No. I can't... I can't do it that way." She shook her head. Hard. "Jesse, I wanted to do this with you. I really did. But I don't want to anymore. You really hurt me and there's just..." She shook her head again and walked away.

Jesse watched her go. Jesse didn't know what he was going to do. It had been a mistake, what he'd done. His heart was pounding. He wasn't starting to feel any better. He'd thought that he'd eventually feel better about what happened but now he felt worse. That's when Rachel Berry stormed up to him and slapped him. Jesse looked down at her. "What was _that_, Berry?"

Setting fire filled eyes on him, she folded her arms. "You knocked Quinn up, and then left her. After you made her think you were going to be there for her." Rachel snapped. She could not believe that he had done that to her. Rachel supposed that she should have seen it coming, he had felt no qualms about splitting up Quinn and Puck, while he'd been trying to date her. Rachel thought Jesse was a jerk.

"Rachel, I don't think this is any of your business." Jesse replied. He didn't want to hear what she had to say. Jesse only wanted to do things his way. He did not care how any of his friends cared about it. Jesse looked at her. "You don't get to tell me how to do any of this."

That made her ponder for a few seconds. Then she started speaking again. "No, Jesse. You don't get to say that it's none of my business. You were trying to hurt both of us at the same time. You are just going to hurt her. And you already hurt her once."

Jesse still couldn't believe that Rachel was still trying to defend Quinn when she hated Rachel. It was completely hilarious to him. "You do not know what you're talking about. Quinn doesn't even like you. Did you know that? Quinn thinks you're a good singer but she thinks that you are annoying and a loser. So why are you defending her? You should just drop it. I don't want to have to tell you again. Back off. Back off _now_." Jesse stressed. He didn't know why Rachel was being this way, but he wanted to put a stop to it.

The girl stood as if someone had slapped her. Rachel could not believe Jesse had said that to her. She started to cry and ran off.

Jesse sighed as he watched her go. Jesse knew he had to find some way he could get Quinn back. He didn't know how. Quinn was pissed at him. As well she should. Jesse went to head off to class. He didn't even know which class was next. He didn't even really care. All he cared about right now. He wasn't even thinking about Regionals, which were coming up. He was just trying to work out what would be the best way to get Quinn to take him back.

After school, Quinn was at her locker, putting away the books she didn't need. She took out the ones she did need and closed her locker. When she turned around, Santana and Brittany Pierce were standing there. Quinn hadn't expected them and she couldn't help but jump a little. She didn't know what to do or say. "Just let me go home." She said as she hoisted her bookbag higher on her shoulder.

Santana arched her eyebrow. "So, did Coach Sue kick you off the squad?" Santana asked, folding her arms. Brittany was her best friend, and normally she was a perfect shadow to the Latina. She could not believe that the perfect little princess Quinn Fabray had done this. She actually liked it though, because she now knew that Quinn had been taken down a peg. Santana liked that. Quinn wasn't perfect, she was just like everyone else. Santana was liking the shift in the atmostphere. She wanted everyone to think that Quinn was a slut. She'd look better in comparison.

Quinn sighed. "Yes. You got your wish. Now get out of my way." She said, pushing past them. She started down the hall. Santana let her. Quinn sighed in relief. She didn't know why everyone would not leave her alone. Quinn's secret was out, and they should all just drop it. She didn't want to have to hear about what a slut she was. Quinn had just been under Jesse's spell. And now she wasn't. Quinn was going to do this without Jesse. She didn't care what she had to do. Even if she had to tell her mother and get kicked out. Quinn didn't want to get kicked out, but she didn't know what else to do, since Jesse had abandoned her. Quinn didn't want to do this without him. She wanted Jesse to be with her and raise his child with her. Quinn didn't think that she could do it without him. Quinn got out to her car, opened the door, and started to cry as soon as she sat down.

Jesse was sitting in the seat opposite her. "Quinn..." He said, startling her. "You okay?" He asked, touching her shoulder.

Jerking away from him, she wiped her eyes immediately. "What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, putting her bookbag in the back. Quinn was not ready for whatever Jesse wanted to say. She just knew she'd start to cry again.

Sighing, Jesse touched her shoulder again. This time, she didn't pull away. Jesse was a little heartened. He thought maybe Quinn _wanted _to forgive him. Maybe if he just found the right words, he could get their relationship back on the right track. He knew they could fix this if they gave it a shot. He just wanted to be with her. "Quinn, I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry." He said, knowing that that couldn't be the only thing that he had to say but it was what he wanted to start with. He still felt that pull to be with her that he had felt when he'd first seen her. Jesse didn't know why it was there, but it was. He left his hand on her shoulder. Jesse looked at her. She was staring at the steering wheel, and there were tears dripping off her chin. Jesse didn't dare try and wipe them off. "I know that it's not enough, but I'm still sorry. Let me make it up to you. I'll do anything." The baby endearment had wanted to slip out, but he kept it in.

Quinn kept her eyes averted from him. She looked at her hands, which were on her lap. She counted to ten before she answered. "Jesse, you..." She stopped. Quinn didn't know how to articulate how she was feeling. "I pretty much just want you to boil in your own excrement." She didn't think lying would help their situation. She couldn't wait to see what he had to say about that. She supposed it would be nothing worth hearing.

That made his eyebrow arch. Jesse ran his hand through his shock of curls. Jesse took a deep breath. He didn't know what he could say that would defend himself after that. Jesse sighed. "Quinn, please. I am not trying to say that what I did was right, because it's not. I know you don't want to do this by yourself. I know I ran before but I don't want to anymore. I want to be with you."

She wanted to relent. She really did. "Okay. But we're doing this on a trial basis. I don't want to open the door to just get hurt again." Quinn told him, shaking her head, long blonde hair bouncing by her face.

Jesse smiled. He felt glad. He would have to make sure that he didn't do anything to mess it up. Jesse would kill himself if anything got messed up again. He wiped her chin, glad that she let him. He thought a kiss might be too much. "I'm sorry that the whole school is treating you like shit." He told her. He didn't know how everyone could live with themselves. "If it makes you feel any better, they're picking on me too." Jesse wasn't sure it would actually help but he thought it would help maybe. She'd know that she wasn't going through this alone.

It seemed to fall on deaf ears. Quinn turned to look at him. "I have to go home and have some time to myself, okay? Go home and you can call me later." She said, but it was n a nicely mellow tone. Jesse just wondered if she was just numb. But he agreed, and got out of the car.

Starting up the car, Quinn cried all the way home. When she got there, she went straight up to her room. Before she started her homework, she checked her email. There was one from the glee teacher at Carmel High. Quinn didn't even know her. She opened it.

_Quinn, _

_You don't know me. I'm the glee teacher from Carmel High. Your boyfriend Jesse went here until recently as you know. Or, I'm assuming you know. Well, the reason I am emailing you is because I just thought you should know that Jesse was put into your school at my request. I wanted him to get close to Rachel Berry any way he could to tell her that I am her mother. Please don't speak a word of this. I am taking it on faith that you'll keep your mouth shut. But, you should know that Jesse wasn't there to be with you and maybe you should just give it up before you get hurt. _

_Shelby Corcoran_

Quinn looked at the computer screen, her heart pounded as she read the words on the screen. She could not believe this. Not that she cared a whit about the drama with Rachel and her birth mother. Her heart was practically stopping with the knowledge that Jesse had only been there to try and come on to Rachel. Quinn could not believe that he had messed up so much in their lives. Tears started pouring down her face. Maybe Jesse didn't really love her. How could he? He had made her think that he loved her and wanted to raise his baby with her. Quinn knew that she should call him and ask him what the hell was going on. Looks like she might be single again.


	4. How Could You?

Chapter Four: How Could You?

After Quinn got that email, she didn't know what to think at all. She was angry, she knew that. It was just beyond that that she wasn't sure. Quinn wasn't at all sure if she should kick his ass or yell at him until she was hoarse. That last one sounded like the easiest. Not to mention, she was pregnant and shouldn't really be fighting. Quinn couldn't believe that he had hid this from her. She could have had that information before she slept with him. Quinn got ready for school. She was going to have to give him what for. It was going to feel good, Quinn had a lot of pent-up rage. She could take some of it out on Jesse. Her ride to school was a quiet one. She was busy thinking about how to start her yelling. She couldn't find the best words. They had to be right. They had to be the ones that would turn Jesse into a pool of jelly. She wanted to scare the pants off him. Quinn pulled into the parking lot and parked, going inside determinedly. She ignored the looks the other kids were giving her. Quinn didn't care, she had a mission. She hurried down the hall, only stopping long enough to go to her locker. She put away the books that she didn't need and approached Jesse. "We have to talk, St. James." She said. She was holding a copy of the email Shelby had sent her.

Jesse looked down at her, his eyes wide. "Oh, hi, Quinn." He said, surprised that she was talking to him. He was glad, though. He had been waiting for her to come to her senses and take him back. Jesse ran a hand through his curls. "Hi, Quinn." He said again, out of nervousness. He looked at her. "Are you… what are you _talking_ about?" He asked. Jesse wished he could figure out what it was most girls were all about. Jesse figured he'd never figure girls out. Especially girls like Quinn, who had the crazies going on. Jesse wished he could take back all the things he'd done since he had gotten to McKinley. All he had done was hurt people, and Jesse had to admit, he was starting to actually care about people. That was a very bad thing. Jesse had never actually cared about people before.

"Why did Rachel's mom send me this email?" Quinn asked, and read it out loud to him, her hazel eyes full of anger. "Why the hell would you hide something like that? You didn't care about any of us! You were here to try and get Rachel to find out who her mother was! You didn't care about me." Quinn said, her voice quivering. Quinn was on the verge of crying. She had to try not to, she didn't want Jesse to think that she actually cared about him. She didn't. Quinn wished that she never had to know that she had gotten that email. Quinn had never been so hurt in her entire life. Quinn should have stayed with Puck. She wouldn't be in this mess right now if she had. Quinn forced herself not to get hysterical. "I can't believe I let you sleep with me! I can't believe that I…. that I'm carrying your child!" She cried.

Jesse looked at her, trying to think of a way to kill Shelby without getting caught. She had just ruined any chance she had of Rachel finding out she was her mother. Jesse wasn't going to help her anymore. He could not believe that she may have just ruined any chance he had with Quinn. Jesse didn't want that. He loved her. He had never been able to say that about anyone. It felt weird. But he was glad. Maybe it meant that he was growing. "I… I'm _sorry_, Quinn. I do care about you. I really do." Jesse said, as he tried to control his rage at Shelby. He didn't know what to do or say. Jesse had to get her to realize that he loved her. "I haven't talked to Shelby in a few weeks. I swear. Quinn, that may have been why I came here in the beginning, but it's not why I stayed. I love you. I really do. I want to raise this baby with you. It's all I want." He said, reaching out to touch her arm.

Quinn jerked back. She didn't want him touching her. She didn't think she could hide her rage anymore. She slapped him across the face. Quinn didn't know what else to say. She was so angry. She had never been so angry in her life. "You expect me to believe that?" She asked. Quinn didn't stop, even when a crowd began to gather. She didn't want anything stopping her. Quinn was on a roll. "I can't believe that I let you take me away from my boyfriend! I was someone else's! And you ruined me!" She cried. This was not how she had wanted this to go. She was getting too emotional. She really wished she hadn't hurt Puck like she had. It was all for nothing. "I…. I hurt Puck for nothing!" She screeched. "You are an ass, Jesse St. James, and I am _not_ keeping this baby! It will only remind me of _you_!" She screeched. She turned and whirled off down the hall. She still couldn't believe that she had fallen for his lies. Quinn was a smart girl. As she rounded the corner, Puck stepped in front of her. "Puck, out of my way!" She snapped.

Puck had seen the entire fight. He was not surprised that Jesse had hurt her. He really wasn't. He had told Quinn he wouldn't be here for her when that happened. He couldn't help it though, Puck still loved her. He knew that she was into Jesse, but he still cared about her more than anything. He didn't know what to say about what she had just gone through. "Quinn, I am still pissed as hell at you, but I still love you. I'm sorry that you're having issues with him." Puck said. She just gave him an annoyed look. Puck looked at her. "Quinn, please just hear me out. Maybe he didn't mean to hurt you." This got him a glare and a shove. Puck didn't know what was making him defend Jesse. He hated that guy. Puck couldn't help it. He thought Jesse really might not have meant to hurt her. "He was really sorry, Quinn. You should at least hear him out." Puck said. He knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Quinn's anger. It didn't feel good.

Quinn looked at him, her nostrils flaring and her hand itching to slap him. She didn't know what was making him stick up or Jesse right now. "You can't be serious right now!" She snapped. "You of all people shouldn't be defending him! He got me to cheat on you and hurt you! Why are you sticking up for him? You should hate him. Why are you trying to get me to forgive him? I can't… I can't forget what he did! He was only here to help Rachel find her mother. He doesn't love me. I was just collateral damage. Everything that he did and said was just a lie! How can I believe anything else he says?" he really didn't know why he was being this way. She was not going to take Jesse back. Quinn could not believe what she had let happen to her. She was stronger than all of this. Quinn just had to take her power back. She wasn't going to let any of this touch her. Quinn would figure this out. "I am going to give this baby up and move on with my life." She told him.

"Quinn, you should try and forgive him. He didn't mean to hurt you. I could tell he wasn't acting. Don't ask me why I'm doing this. I just want you to be happy, Quinn. I may still be pissed as hell at you, but I love you. I want you to be happy. You deserve that. Even good people make mistakes. You should try to find some way to forgive Jesse. You have a shot at what neither of us ever had, a real family. Jesse's child is in there." He said, holding his hand over her belly. In her shock, she didn't pull away. "I would kick my own ass right now for talking you into this, but you should, Quinn. You should grab at whatever kind of family you can get."

All of that sounded good in theory, but Quinn knew better. She knew what real family was. Of course it wasn't what _she_ had at home, but she knew what family was. She pulled completely away from him. Quinn didn't want anything from him. "I'm sorry, Puck. I appreciate what you're trying to do. Especially after what I did to you. But I don't want your help. I don't want anything from you." Quinn started down the hall again. She couldn't believe that this had happened. She was such an idiot. She was going to have to do better next time.

It was two months before Jesse even tried to approach her again. She was showing already. There were lots of rumors going around about her. Jesse had been trying to figure out what he was going to say to her. Quinn had been spending a lot of time with Tina and Rachel. She was a social outcast. Jesse felt bad for her. He had never felt bad for anyone in his life. It felt completely strange. Jesse had never cared about anyone but himself before. Jesse didn't know how he was going to get Quinn to listen to him. She didn't want to talk to him at all. It was very annoying. Jesse just wanted her to listen. He would figure out the words that he would need to get Quinn to finally listen to him. He still couldn't believe he was _here_, at McKinley. Jesse would have left by now to go back to Carmel High, but he didn't want to miss time with Quinn. Jesse didn't miss Vocal Adrenaline anyway. It had been one of the most horrible experiences of his life. Jesse had been brain washed for awhile, but he'd gotten out of it when he had met Quinn. Jesse had been all about just laying her at first, but he had really fallen for her.

The glee club was gearing up for Regionals. Jesse actually cared about whether New Directions won or not. That felt strange, too. Jesse went into the choir room, most everyone was already there. He ran his hand through his curls as he went to take a seat. Everyone glared at him as he sat down. He didn't care if anyone liked him or not. It was something that he just couldn't help but not worry about. "Good afternoon, Quinn." He said, earning giggles from the entire glee club. Jesse ignored the giggles and kept his gaze on her. "How was your day?" He asked, settling his books under his chair. He gave her a sly grin, the St. James grin of the permanently arrogant. He had perfected it over the years.

Quinn could only look back at him with contempt. She didn't really want anything to do with Jesse right now. She couldn't imagine why he had even been able to get past her armor. Quinn couldn't let him in again. She wouldn't. She wasn't going to let herself get taken again. It was all things that she was going to learn from. She refused to say a thing to him. She refused to even acknowledge that there was anything different about the choir room. "Mr. Schue, can you just go on with the lesson?" She asked, turning back around to face the front of the classroom. Everyone looked at her in surprise. Quinn ignored the looks everyone was giving her. It was not important. She put her hands on her stomach, to feel the baby within. She still couldn't believe she was carrying Jesse's baby. She almost wanted to rip into her and take it out. Quinn would give the baby up for adoption. She hadn't been planning on it, but right now she couldn't imagine having to look at a kid that had half of Jesse's face. She wouldn't be able to stand it for the rest of her life.

Jesse got up, to sing. "Mr. Schue, can I have the floor? I have something to say to Quinn." Jesse really hoped that Will would let him. Will spared a look at Quinn before he nodded. He got up and walked in front of the class. "Quinn, I know that I hurt you. Kept things from you. I didn't really want to hurt anyone. Least of all you. I know I don't deserve any of it, but please forgive me. I will love you no matter what." Jesse nodded at Brad, who began to play. Jesse would get Quinn back no matter what he had to do. He opened his golden throat and began to sing.

_This Romeo is bleeding but you can't see his blood_

_It's nothing but some feelings that this old dog kicked up_

_It's been raining since you left me_

_Now I'm drowning in the flood_

_You see I've always been a fighter _

_But without you I give up_

_Now I can't sing a love song _

_like the way it's meant to be_

_Well, I guess I'm not that good anymore_

_but baby that's just me_

_And I will love you baby, always _

_And I'll be there forever and a day, always _

_I'll be there till the stars don't shine _

_Till the heavens burst and the words don't rhyme_

_and I know when I die you'll always be on my mind,_

_and I'll love you always_

When Jesse finished, everyone clapped. Quinn was not impressed. She looked at him, her face expressionless. Jesse didn't really know what else to say. He had said it all with his song. "Quinn, please. I am sorry that I hurt you. I never wanted to do this to you." He got down on his knee in front of her. He had never tried this hard to get anything before. Jesse felt that Quinn should take that into account. "I have never loved anyone but you, Quinn. I know I hurt you. Let me make it up to you." He pleaded.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "I am not going to take you back. I know that you didn't mean to be a jerk. I believe you that you didn't mean to. But I don't want to be with you. I am not going to let you hurt me again. I was actually looking forward to having this baby and raising it with you. Then you had to lie to me. I cheated on Puck for you. I am not a cheater. I never wanted to do that. And now I have. Now I am a bitch." Quinn didn't really know what else there was to say. She was firm in her decision. Quinn wasn't going to let up. This was something she felt bad about. Quinn got up, ignoring everyone's looks. She went out into the hall, trying to focus her breathing. Quinn couldn't believe how much she had done. She couldn't believe how much she had lost. There was almost a shot at a family she had had. Quinn would never know what might have been. But she was sure Jesse would have just hurt her again.

She wasn't out there long before Rachel had joined her. "Quinn…. are you okay?" Rachel asked. She really wanted Quinn and Jesse to iron things out. She thought they were a very cute couple. Rachel didn't think Quinn would like it if she ended up regretting not forgiving Jesse. Rachel didn't want Quinn to be upset. She supposed that she was a little creepy. Rachel shouldn't be so concerned with Quinn's life. She couldn't help it. She didn't think she could leave it alone. Rachel didn't want Quinn to leave New Directions. She thought she might if Jesse stayed Rachel thought they should fix things. She didn't want drama when they were going to competition. She didn't want them to lose. "Quinn, I know Jesse hurt you. But you should try and work it out." She said, folding her arms. Rachel did her best to look contrite. She knew Quinn was going to think she was being selfish. She didn't want to seem as if she was, even if it _was_ mostly selfish. Rachel knew she had to work on it. She ran her hand through her long brown hair. "He hasn't ever loved anyone, and he loves you. You should at least hear him out."

That was really rich, coming from Rachel. Quinn didn't know why Rachel of all people was sticking up for Jesse. He had hurt her more than he had anyone. Quinn looked at Rachel. "Why are you telling me to forgive him? He hurt you more than anyone, except maybe me. I don't know why you are trying to get me to give him another chance. I don't want to. I was looking forward to having this baby. We were going to raise it together. Be a family. Rachel, I was happy with Puck. I didn't have a reason to cheat on him. And I did. I still can't believe that I did that. Puck is a lot of things, buy he's not a bad guy." She said, shaking her head. Quinn didn't doubt for a second that Rachel was doing this for selfish reasons. Quinn didn't really know how to get her way with Rachel. All she wanted her to do was go away. She wanted to just go home. Quinn still had to tell her parents that she was pregnant. She wasn't going to until she was really showing. Quinn knew that she would get kicked out of the house if they knew. She ran her hand through her blonde hair. "Plus, I know that you are doing this because you don't want us to get into a fight before we go to Regionals." Tears had gathered in her eyes.

Rachel didn't have a comeback. She knew Quinn was right. She wished that she could tell her something different. Rachel sighed. "I'm sorry, Quinn. I know that I can be selfish. I really think you should try and work things out with Jesse. He is your baby's father. You should try and fix things. You can't get rid of him. He'll be in your life forever. Even if you don't keep the baby." Rachel couldn't imagine what Quinn was going through. She was back on track with Finn, and she would never be that stupid to have sex without a condom. She thought that Quinn was just unlucky though. She would never judge Quinn for what she had done. Not that she knew the details. She didn't. "Quinn, I know Jesse pretty well. We spent a lot of time together when he first came to McKinley. I really think he loves you." Rachel said. She looked into Quinn's eyes. She wanted the blonde to know she was serious. She had never been so serious in her life. "Quinn, please. Don't do it for me. I know you don't really like me. It's okay. I'm not asking you to. At least think about forgiving Jesse."

Quinn forced herself to count to ten. She didn't want to get into a screaming match in the hallway. "Rachel, my relationship with Jesse is none of your damn business." Quinn could not believe Rachel was really doing this, sticking up for him. She let out another breath. "Please, Rachel, just let it go. I am not going to forgive Jesse." Quinn didn't want to. She wouldn't. She had to be strong, or she would get dyed again. Quinn's eyes closed as she thought about Jesse slipping inside her. She may have ended up with a baby, but she was never going to regret it. It had been so amazing. Quinn started to walk away before she started crying. Quinn didn't want to cry in front of Rachel. She couldn't stop them once they started. She hated her pregnancy hormones. Quinn really wished she could decide what to do. She couldn't carry the baby hardly, she wanted to rip the baby out of her. Quinn almost got sick at the thought of giving it up. She reached her locker, and started to get the books she needed. She just wanted to go home. It was all she ever wanted these days.

The next couple of weeks were hard. Quinn didn't really let Jesse near her. He kept trying, and she had to admit, she liked that he was being insistent. She just couldn't let herself trust him. Quinn went home, and to school. That's all she did. There was nothing else she wanted to do. Quinn didn't want to do anything else, she didn't want to get behind in school. She was on top of all her homework. Quinn was going to do her best to get into a good school and get the hell out of Lima. She didn't want to end up like her mother. She had ended up in Lima. Quinn wasn't looking forward to Regionals. They'd been working hard on their numbers, and she was tired of practicing them. It was so exhausting. She hadn't really talked to anyone in awhile, either. Quinn was very lonely. She was missing the Cheerios. They had been a good outlet for her. She didn't know how she would ever be able to get back on the squad. She would not be able to get Coach Sue to forgive her. Quinn cared about Sue. She almost trusted her more than she trusted her own mother.

One morning, Santana decided that she was going to give Quinn shit. She sauntered up to Quinn's locker one morning. Quinn had just started to show even more. She knew she couldn't physically fight her. She wouldn't. "Bitch, you should just drop out." She said. She couldn't believe that Quinn was just waltzing around the school like nothing was wrong. Santana didn't know how Quinn could be so arrogant. She folded her arms, and looked at the blonde. "She's never going to let you back on the Cheerios." She informed her, as if she was reading Quinn's mind. She didn't think she'd ever be able to like Quinn after she'd hurt Puck like that. She could hardly believe Quinn had had a guy like Puck and had thrown him away for Jesse St. James. Santana didn't get it. She didn't really want Puck for anything more than a beard, but she did really care about him. She and Puck had been best friends for a really long time. They'd slept together quite a bit before he had fallen for Quinn. Santana had been skeptical.

Quinn sighed. "Santana, I am not going to drop out of school. I am going to get out of Lima, no matter what I do." She replied, rubbing her stomach. She was doing her best, and she still hadn't decided whether she was going to keep it or not. She couldn't make up her mind. "You need to let it go." She said, turning her back to Santana. She didn't want to deal with Santana right now. Quinn didn't really want to ever deal with her. "You also shouldn't try that crap about caring about him with me. I know you're a lesbian." Quinn didn't lower her voice, but there wasn't anyone around to hear it, really. She wouldn't have said it if there was someone to hear it. Quinn may hate her right now, but she would never out Santana. She closed her locker, and started down the hall. She didn't want to fight. Quinn had a class to get to. She wouldn't let Santana have the upper hand, no matter what. That was one of the reasons they didn't really get along. They fought too much. They were too similar. Quinn's long hair fell over her eye. She did miss Cheerios, and she knew that Santana knew that, and was counting on that still being true.

Santana rolled her eyes. She didn't know why Quinn was being so difficult. It didn't really surprise her. It was Quinn's middle name besides Elizabeth. Santana's face froze when Quinn mentioned her being a lesbian. Santana didn't know what to do. She didn't want to admit it. She had seen how it had been for Kurt in this school. She didn't want to deal with that. Santana was in love with Brittany Pierce. She didn't really know how to tell her. She didn't know how Quinn knew. It wasn't like she had told her. Santana ran her hand through the end of her ponytail. She said as casually as she could, "I am not gay." She hoped that Quinn would accept that and not contradict her. Santana let out a breath. She couldn't imagine life without Brittany. She had never thought that she would actually be gay, and it was hard to admit. Santana wasn't sure that she would ever be able to admit it out loud. There was no way that she had enough courage to be out. Even if she lived somewhere else.

Quinn just shook her head. "It's okay, Santana. I am not going to tell anyone. That's not my thing." She did her best to ignore the other girl. She didn't want to fight with her anymore. Quinn didn't want t be anymore stressed out than she already was. There was so much on her mind. Quinn was lonely. There was no way she was taking Jesse back however. She wasn't going to let herself get hurt again. She used to believe in anything being possible. That was no longer true. Quinn didn't know how everything could be so messed up. It was so not worth being alive. The only thing stopping her from killing herself was that she was pregnant. Quinn had no qualms whatsoever about killing herself, but she wouldn't kill her baby. She ran her hand through her long blonde hair. The Latina didn't walk away. She stayed right next to Quinn. Quinn refused to say anything else to the girl. Quinn hadn't spoken much about anything to anyone. She had been keeping to herself. She would never be able to get over Jesse. He had loved her, Quinn did believe that. She just couldn't trust him anymore after he had hurt her. She got to the cafeteria, and joined the line for food. Santana stayed right with her. Quinn finally turned to look at Santana. "Why are you pestering me?" She asked, bite in her tone. She just wanted the other girl to leave her alone.

Santana shrugged. She hadn't really thought any of this out. It was just normal high school girl things. Santana was going to say more, when there was a commotion at the cafeteria doors. Jesse was standing there, fighting with Puck. Santana could not believe her eyes. They were getting into a fist fight. "Puckerman, stop!" She didn't want him to get in trouble. He had gotten suspended enough times. She and Quinn both surged forward, to try and pull them apart. She gripped Puck's arm, and Quinn grabbed Jesse's arm. Puck let Santana pull him away, but Jesse fought against Quinn. Santana looked at both of them. "What the hell?" She asked, as they managed to keep the boys apart. Santana was truly confused, she hadn't thought that they had a reason to fight. Puck hadn't done a thing to Jesse since he had told Quinn that she should grab onto any semblance of a family.

Puck hadn't started it, Jesse had. "Jesse started it." He said, pulling away from the Latina. He didn't try and get at Jesse again, he looked at Santana. "You guys should have left us alone." Puck didn't look at Jesse, but he looked at Quinn. She was upset, and her face was full of love for Jesse. He still loved Quinn. But he didn't want her to be unhappy. All he wanted was for her to have what she wanted. Puck would have loved that baby. He would have loved it even if it wasn't his. Quinn was worth it. But he understood that he couldn't have her right now. He ran his hand over his shaved head. "I was just standing here minding my own business, trying to get some lunch, and he comes up and starts fighting with me. I don't know what I did." Puck stayed behind Santana, he wasn't afraid of Jesse but he figured it was best if he just let them keep him away from Jesse. He still didn't know why he had started a fight with Puck. Puck's hand was in Santana's, and he wondered if Quinn was jealous. Puck knew Santana was gay. It didn't really bother him. He was okay with being what she needed.

Jesse looked at Quinn, who was looking at him incredulously. "I…. if you don't want me, then you must want Puck again." Jesse didn't know if he was right or not, but he believed it. He didn't want Quinn to be with Puck. He wanted Quinn to be with him. He looked back at her, she was looking at him like he was insane. He didn't want to back down. "I've tried all I can, Quinn. You won't take me back. I love you. More than anything." He just hoped she wasn't angry that he had picked a fight with Puck. He wouldn't take it back. He didn't regret it at all. He would do it again. He just wished that he had won the fight. Jesse looked at Quinn. "I'm sorry. No, I'm not, but if you want to be with Puck then I guess that I accept that." Jesse didn't want to lie to her. Which was a complete first. He wasn't usually so honest. It was not what he was used to. Jesse lied most of the time to get what he wanted. It was what was the thing he did best. "I want you to be happy, Quinn."

That threw her. Quinn didn't know what to say that. She looked at him, her eyes full of disbelief. "I don't want Puck back." She told him, her hands on her stomach. The gall of Jesse just surprised her. Quinn didn't know what to say. "I just… I can't be hurt again. And you did it to me. You hurt me a lot. I will not let myself be hurt again." Quinn thought it was cute that he cared enough to beat Puck up. "I'm sorry, though, because I am not taking you back." Quinn ran her hand through her long blonde hair. She avoided looking at Puck and Santana. She knew they were holding hands, and she didn't really want to see it. Just because she didn't want Puck back didn't mean that she wanted to see them being together. She kept her hazel eyes on Jesse. He was so beautiful. Quinn really wished it could all work out for them. She just knew it wouldn't. She let out a sigh. "I just think maybe you should just leave Puck alone next time." She said. Quinn hoped that he would listen. She didn't want to have to break up another fight between them. It was so immature.

Jesse looked at her. "Can you excuse us?" He asked the other two, and they walked away, Puck looking a little reluctant to do so. Jesse turned to Quinn. "You don't want Puck back?" He asked, a bit incredulously. She shook her head. "But you aren't going to take me back." He asked, his heart pounding. Jesse didn't know how Quinn could keep resisting his charms. He didn't know how anyone could. Least of all the girl he loved. She was so beautiful and worthy of her time. He couldn't say that about most people. No one was really worthy of his time. Jesse looked at Quinn. "I am glad you don't want Puckerman back." He said. "But please, you should let me try again. I know I don't really deserve it. I know that. But I promise I won't hurt you again of you give me another chance." Jesse hoped she would reconsider this time. He couldn't stand to be without her anymore. It was just painful. "Please, Quinn, I really can't live without you. I have just been missing you."

It was really testing her resolve. Quinn took a deep breath. She didn't want to be stupid, and let him back in. She just didn't know if she could go on without him. Quinn took a deep breath. She had to be strong. She had to stick to her guns, whether she wanted to or not. Jesse had hurt her enough, and had gotten her to hurt Puck, who hadn't done anything to her. Quinn just wished she wasn't so principled. Then she could afford to believe him. She rubbed her arm, holding her books tightly. "I am sorry that I can't." She joined the line for the food again, not looking back. Quinn knew she was doing the right thing, even if she didn't really want to. She also knew that she was going to give up the baby. If she wasn't going to be with Jesse, she didn't want to see anything or anyone that had is genes. It would be too painful to see. Quinn let out a sigh. She would regret it if it was a girl. She really wanted a girl. Quinn chanced a look at Jesse from her place. He looked very upset. Quinn let out a breath and turned away, before she gave in and went over to him. "Be strong, Fabray." She told herself. He was the one who had gotten them in this mess in the first place. She just wished it could all work out.


End file.
